


New Roots for the Holiday

by Obroseypack



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Deputy Stiles Stilinski, Derek Hale Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Dissociation, EMT Allison Argent, EMT Derek Hale, Established Relationship, Hale Fire Mentions, Kid Fic, M/M, Pack Mom Melissa McCall, Trauma, holiday fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-15
Updated: 2017-12-15
Packaged: 2019-02-15 04:43:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13023474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Obroseypack/pseuds/Obroseypack
Summary: Derek is an EMT and is called to help on a house fire call. He goes there unsure if he can handle it and ends up fostering a kid without telling Stiles. What ensues is the chaos that is juggling being fathers, their jobs and dealing with their own personal problems at the same time. The holidays and family helps ease some of it after the holiday pressures of needing to be happy 24/7 during them.





	New Roots for the Holiday

**Author's Note:**

  * For [substanceofmysoul on tumblr](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=substanceofmysoul+on+tumblr).



> Sorry in advanced for the formatting on this. I'm still trying to figure out the formatting on AO3.

He wanted to run; it was written on the way he wasn’t looking at the house and the fidgeting from one leg to the other. He was passed with a stretcher that he couldn’t bring himself to look at. Derek had had a lingering thought in the back of his mind that kept telling him that sooner or later he was going to have to face this, that a house fire was a distinct possibility. He had told himself when he heard the call that he could do it, he didn’t have to go into the building since he wasn’t on the fire department so it wouldn’t be that bad, but here he was hyperventilating on the edge of the property line as memories threatened his reality.  
“Why don’t you stay out here...search the perimeter for anybody?” A coworker said in passing as they loaded the ambulance with a person, the smell of the person on the stretcher all too familiar for Derek. He nodded slowly and started to briskly walk around the perimeter, counting his fingers every time he felt his reality slip farther into his memory bank.  
It’s as he’s counting his fingers for the fifth time that he feels something bump into his legs. Derek is surprised when whatever it was wraps around one of his legs and he tries not to automatically think it was a threat. He looks down to find a toddler of maybe three-and-a-half or four attached to his leg like a koala bear. “H-H-Hey buddy.” He says softly and the kid looks up at him with tear-stricken eyes that smile when they meet Derek’s. ‘That’s a good sign.’ The kid unwraps himself from Derek before lifting his arms up in the universal kid language for ‘PICK ME UP’ and Derek complies. “You okay?” He cooes and in return the kid rubbed his face in Derek’s collar. ‘This kid is full of all sorts of surprises.’ He was grateful for the kid being a distraction, the memories had faded from his reality and he put a hand on the kid’s back as he continued his brisk walk around the perimeter.  
Derek made sure to talk as they walked, keeping both of their minds occupied on something other than what was going on around them. When they made it to the front of the house Derek put a hand on the toddler’s head so he wouldn’t try to look around and have to see more than he probably had already seen. “I’m taking us to go see Allison. I work with her and she’s a good friend, okay?”  
“Derek-oh who’s this little one?” Her voice changed from professional to kiddie talk as she noticed the little one attached to Derek.  
“He hasn’t said but he was over near the left side of the house.”  
“Can I check you over...make sure you’re okay?” She asked and the toddler shook his head, burying it into Derek’s neck. Derek tried not to laugh at the offended face that Allison gave, she was usually really good with kids so it was rather ironic. He looked and spotted Deputy Parrish not far from where they were standing.  
“I’ll get Jordan to give us a ride to Melissa...uh-” Allison noticed him fidgeting.  
“I’ll cover you...go home after this, okay?” He nodded, silently thanking her and thinking about how he’d make it up to her as he walked over to Deputy Parrish.  
“Could we have a lift to the station, gotta check in with Melissa.” He said, using code words so not to scare the toddler that they were going to the hospital. He nodded and let them sit in the front, figuring he could bend the rules at least once.  
At the hospital he walked up to the nurses station. “Is Melissa McCall working?” The nurse nodded and made a phone call. The toddler looked up at Derek, sleepy-eyed. “Hey, we just need to do a quick check for boo-boos okay?” A small nod answered the question before he laid his head back on Derek’s shoulder, hands still death gripping his uniform.  
“Derek! Oh my-who is this cutie?” Melissa asked, ushering them into a quiet room down the hall. Once the door was closed she made Derek sit in the nearest chair and his demeanor changed automatically, she could tell he’d been shaken up. “Are you okay?” She put a hand on his shoulder and felt him shake under it. She gave it a squeeze.  
“It...was a f-fire.” He whispered.  
“Oh honey!” He felt her fingers brush through his hair a few times in comfort before time started to pass in a blur. His brain worked in overdrive as the memories flooded-not the images but the smells and the sounds. He took a deep breath and all he could smell was something burning, he didn’t want to think of what it actually was because then he’d have to admit what was happening. His leg bounced as he fights the urge to run home and bury himself in the shared smell of pack-mate-family. Melissa is trying to talk to him, using a soothing voice to bring him back. He can’t hear what she’s saying just yet, but it’s almost like a ghost whispering over the screams of his family that no matter how far he runs with Laura he can still hear. He realizes that he still can’t run from those, but he’s made so many new memories that it doesn’t sting as much-until today.  
Derek’s eyes gained focus as he heard the toddler yell, glaring at Melissa. “Hey! None of that buddy.” He said, his voice cracking as he came back to reality. “Melissa is family.” The toddler looked at Derek and the look he was given was pure grumpy woken up from nap toddler. “She’s just going to do a quick boo-boo check while you sit here okay?” The toddler huffed and nodded, if Melissa didn’t know what had happened she would’ve thought that Derek had found a long lost Hale.  
Derek was back to the land of the living while he watched Melissa check the little one out and she was even allowed to do a DNA swab. When all was said and done, Melissa handed over a page of star stickers. They were both surprised when he stuck a sticker on her arm and laughed when one was put on Derek’s forehead and one on himself. “Call Stiles maybe?” She suggested and touched his shoulder once before she went to the lab.  
He hadn’t even been able to look at his phone screen before the little one made grabby hands towards the phone, dropping the stickers automatically. He ignored all the messages from Allison and pulled up Candy Crush before handing the phone to the little one. Watching him play gave him something to help anchor him to the present.  
Melissa came back with a lady from Child Services who said the words ‘orphan’ and ‘group home’ before the child started screaming and crying. Derek’s phone went flying towards the lady, smacking her in the arm in tantrum as she got closer to them. “Hey-hey!” Derek cooed, picking up the kid and making him stand on his thighs so they were facing one another. “Buddy, it’s okay.” He continued to coo and unclipped his keys from his pants, which other than having lots of keys that jingled also thanks to Stiles had a stuffed wolf on it. He jingled the keys and the toddler stopped screaming, sniffing and giving a hiccup as he grabbed the keys. Derek turned to the Child Services lady. “I had younger siblings.” She sighed in relief. “Is uh-there any way I could foster him?” The lady looked between the toddler and Derek and nodded.  
“Well have to do some paper work and give him a name, even just temporarily. Apparently there’s no record of him in Beacon Hills. Usually there’s more hooplah to go through, but this is a special case.” They ended up doing a little bit of paperwork with promise to finish it up the next day at her office. The toddler whom Derek named Elijah after his father had fallen asleep on Derek again as they did the paperwork, his hands around Derek’s neck. Karen Jenkins left her card with Derek so he could find her office.  
“Congratulations Derek, but you should probably tell Stiles about this little monkey.” She hands him his phone, the screen shattered in one corner. He nodded as he stood up, first adjusting Elijah on his hip before taking the phone and putting it away. He hugged Melissa tight.  
“Thanks for everything-it means a lot.” He put his head on her shoulder, letting his guard down.  
“I’ll get you two a ride home, but go relax...it’s been a long few hours.”  
“I owe you a gift basket.” He mumbled.  
It was hours later when Stiles came home from dinner at his grandmother’s that he walked into the living room to find Disney’s Robin Hood on. He had his mouth open to say something when he noticed Derek asleep on the couch with a small child sprawled across him. ‘This must be the surprise.’ He smirked, taking his phone out and took a few pictures before putting a blanket over them before sitting in the chair next to them, too full to overthink just yet.

**Author's Note:**

> So I didn't originally plan on writing this as a multi-chapter fic, but I'm really excited to see where it goes. Happy Christmas<3 I'm planning on putting more chapters up after Christmas :]


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